The O J Simpson Case

The paper analyses the courts proceedings evidence provided and how the verdict was made. It also looks into the issue of how the media influenced the case and the people perception on the case Introduction All through the American history, there have been numerous criminal lawsuits that have taken the country and media by storm. Most of them being murder cases such as Boston Strangler, Black Dahlia, and one of the most infamous trial, the O. J. Simpson murder trial. After his retirement in the year 1985, he married a waitress, Nicole Brown, from Beverly Hills and had two children. Their marriage ended in 1992 after O. J. was charged with domestic abuse and was punished to community service, and penalized. However, they did not officially divorce.

J's car belonged to the murdered victims. This and the evidence found at the scene of the crime was enough to issue a permit for Simpson's arrest. Instead of turning himself in, Simpson got himself in his car with an old friend Al Crowning in the driver seat. They got themselves in a chase with police officers which was covered live by the media(Phelps 56). On the 20th of June Simpson was charged in court and appealed ‘not guilty' to the two accusations of murder. The two teams, defense, and prosecution worked hard to prepare their opening statement. Christopher Dendreon the LA prosecutor accused Simpson of killing his wife out of an envious rage. However, without the homicide weapon and no witnesses, the prosecution did not seem to have a strong case against Simpson.

The tangible proof collected led the prosecution to suppose that Simpson went to Nicole's house that evening of the murder purposed to kill her. The hypothesized that Nicole answered the door calmly because it was a familiar face, Simpson then grabbed and attacked with a knife her before she could make any noise. On the phone, Simpson claimed that he was overslept and would be downstairs shortly. Kailen and the driver both claimed and agreed that Simpson seemed disturbed, although the airport crew who interacted with him asserted that he was very relaxed and acted normal. Simpson's story of being asleep the whole duration of the murder changed on various occasion. Cochran, one of Simpson's lawyer said that Simpson did not leave the house that night, he was preparing for his Chicago trip and at 10:25 he went outside to play golf.

He also said he had a witness, Rosa Lopez, who claimed that Simpson's car was parked at the curb. The proofs exhibited to the jury include DNA examination of blood gotten from Simpson's socks which were identified as Nicole's. Nevertheless, the lab test was done at two different labs and using different techniques and this could have caused a contamination. Moreover, the pattern of the blood resembled on both socks, and according to Dr. Henry Lee, such pattern can only be made if a drop of blood is put on the sock without being worn. Other evidence included traces of blood in Simpson's car which matched his and his two victims, Simpson's hair found on Goldman's shirt at the scene of the crime, arrest records for preceding occurrences with domestic abuse and photos of Nicol's battered face to evidence it.

They were helped in presenting their assertion when the officers pled the fifth amendment about placing and making up evidence. They brought up the alternative hypothesis that the killers were drug related and the hitmen were paid to find out Nicole's drug dealer who failed to pay up some debt and it turned to her since she could not pay her dealer who in turn could not pay the drug lords(Salwan & Driscoll 72). Nonetheless, they did not have adequate proof to back this theory apart from the fact that Nicole was on drugs. They worked hard to attempt to find a breakthrough out of this problem since it was no longer about the guilt or innocence, it was about who could present their proof in the best manner to plead their Case At 10:00 am, third of October, 1995 O.

J was found not guilty. The only people who were accused of taking race into consideration and putting it into play were the local and federal authorities. Blacks asserted that the verdict was racially motivated. Conclusion This trial is one of the most publicized; in all media platforms from television to the radio and newspapers. On the seventeenth of June, the chase of O. J in his car was broadcasted. , & Zucker, G. S. An attributional analysis of punishment goals and public reactions to OJ Simpson.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(4), 331-346. Salwen, M. Memory distortions develop over time: Recollections of the OJ Simpson trial verdict after 15 and 32 months.  Psychological Science, 11(1), 39-45. Williams, L.  Playing the race card: Melodramas of black and white from Uncle Tom to OJ Simpson.